corpuscular

[ kawr-puhs-kyuh-ler ]

adjective
  1. Biology. of or relating to a corpuscle, or unattached cell, especially of the kind that floats freely, such as a blood or lymph cell: Mean corpuscular volume (MCV) is the average size of red blood cells.

  2. Anatomy. of or relating to a corpuscle, a small mass or body of cells forming a more or less distinct part, such as the sensory receptors at nerve endings.

  1. Physical Chemistry. of or relating to a corpuscle, a minute or elementary particle of matter, such as an electron, proton, or atom.

  2. being, relating to, or similar to a particle: Do the experiment with something known to be corpuscular rather than wavelike, such as marbles.

Origin of corpuscular

1
First recorded in 1660–70; Latin corpuscul(um) “small body” (see corpuscle ) + -ar1
  • Rarely cor·pus·cu·lat·ed [kawr-puhs-kyuh-ley-tid], /kɔrˈpʌs kyəˌleɪ tɪd/, cor·pus·cu·lous [kawr-puhs-kyuh-luhs] /kɔrˈpʌs kyə ləs/ .

Other words from corpuscular

  • cor·pus·cu·lar·i·ty [kawr-puhs-kyuh-lar-i-tee], /kɔrˌpʌs kyəˈlær ɪ ti/, noun
  • in·ter·cor·pus·cu·lar, adjective
  • non·cor·pus·cu·lar, adjective

Words Nearby corpuscular

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use corpuscular in a sentence